Friday, November 30, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Qua Cox already has more interceptions (4) and more tackles (43) than he did a year ago.

But Jackson State’s redshirt junior corner is far from ready to label this season a success as the Tigers approach the Dec. 8 SWAC Championship against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Next Saturday’s game against UAPB presents Cox, who is currently tied for the league lead in interceptions, with a rare opportunity — a championship.

UAPB (9-2) beat JSU (7-4) earlier this season 34-24.

“I’ve never been close to one,” Cox said. “My high school never won over five games. You have a lot of guys that haven’t been to a championship game, including me, that haven’t ever won anything. So you got a lot of guys rising up and getting ready.”

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The boroughs were represented at Echols Hall on Thursday night.

The visiting St. Francis Terriers hail from Brooklyn. Home-at-last Norfolk State had starters from Brooklyn and the Bronx and four other New Yorkers on the roster.

The game had a Big Apple feel as well, with both teams taking a straight-to-the-rim approach. They combined for 92 points in the paint, although neither had a low-post presence to speak of.

In the end, a point guard from Brooklyn grabbed the game by the lapels and shook it. Making play after heady play over the final six minutes, NSU's Jamel Fuentes steered his team to an 85-79 win in front of 3,376 in the Spartans' home opener.

"He was tremendous down the stretch. He put the game on his back," coach Anthony Evans said.

﻿BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Morgan State football coach Donald Hill-Eley said he might soon be out of a job after he accidentally received an e-mail earlier this week outlining the university’s plans to seek a replacement.

Hill-Eley, who has led the Bears to a 54-69 record in 11 seasons, said he hadn’t heard anything official from the university as of this morning despite receiving the e-mail on Tuesday evening.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Hill-Eley said when reached today on his cell phone. A university spokesman said he had no immediate comment about Hill-Eley’s status.

The coach said he has faced greater expectations to win since David Wilson became the university’s president two years ago but said he has not received the bump in resources he would need to achieve that goal. He said four assistant coaches, for example, don’t receive health benefits from the university.

“He said the expectations had changed,” Hill-Eley said, recalling a conversation with Wilson. “But the input didn’t change, so how do you expect things to change on Saturday?”

But this nearly 14-minute video, chronicling Tuskegee's victory against Fort Valley State (Ga.) in the SIAC title game is well worth the wait. It was produced by the conference and it includes an inside look at both team's pregame rituals and a great narration of the Golden Tigers' 55-24 victory at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta.

And, of course, the Golden Tigers band's rendition of Big Pokey's "Ball and Parlay" is featured rather prominently.

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: Pitting Tuskegee, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, and Elizabeth City State, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner-up against each other means bragging rights will be on the line. With CIAA champion Winston-Salem State, having reached the third round of the playoffs, the winner of this game could at least lay claim to being the second-best Division II football team in the country. Tuskegee, which doesn't participate in the playoffs in order to keep its longstanding rivalry against FCS Alabama State in Turkey Day Classic alive, might think it deserves the top spot.

THREE TO THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Will Elizabeth City show signs of rust? The Vikings haven't played since November 10th when Winston Salem State defeated them 34-19 in the CIAA title game in Durham, N.C. Tuskegee played on Thanksgiving Day, earning its 10th straight win and seems to be getting better with each game. A three-week layoff could adversely impact Elizabeth City, especially early on.

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- I don’t pretend to know what it was like at Winston-Salem State in the late 1970s when the football team, coached by a young Bill Hayes, was the talk of the CIAA. During the 1977 and ’78 regular-seasons the Rams went unbeaten.

I was 12-years-old then and living in the suburbs of Chicago and I don’t remember seeing highlights from those Rams teams on the Internet. (Insert joke here).

Anyway, my point is that from what folks tell me about that time at WSSU it was considered the best it’s ever been in football. The 1977 team didn't go to the playoffs and wound up losing to S.C. State in the Gold Bowl.

In 1978 the Rams won their first playoff game in a 17-0 win over Cal Poly then lost in the semifinals the next week to Delaware. Those two years are generally considered the bench mark of success at WSSU until recently.

Just like last year’s WSSU team that had a legitimate shot at winning the school’s first national championship in football this year’s team is on the same track.

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- In a year filled with band scandals and mediocre football teams, there have been few bright spots in HBCU football. Winston-Salem State has been one of them. The Rams have completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, won the CIAA title both years, and made it to the national semifinals of the Division II football playoffs in 2011.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

BOWIE, Maryland -- The last time the Bowie State women’s basketball team played a postseason
game, its season ended at the hands of Shaw University in the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament last spring. With the Bulldogs
scheduled to play Shaw again in January, are they looking forward to the chance
to exact revenge on the Bears? Well, not exactly. Hardly any of the Bowie State
players who suited up for that game are returning this season.

With roster turnover being an inevitable fact of life for Bowie State this
year, some patience may be required.

One of the nine new players debuting for the hometown team this year is Bowie
native and Bowie High grad Jasmine McIntosh. A junior in the classroom and
sophomore on the team, McIntosh is excited to begin her second stint as a
Bulldog … this time on the college level.

“Besides being close to home, I liked the campus,” said McIntosh, who
transferred from East Tennessee State University at the end of the 2011-’12
school year. “I got along with the coaches. Everything just seemed like a good
fit for me.”

And McIntosh appears to be a good fit for the team. At 5 feet 11 inches, she
brings size to the shooting guard position. But she also provides versatility,
as she can play both forward spots as well. She prefers the two guard position,
however, which seems to fit her skill set best.

LOWER OXFORD, Pennsylvania -- Don’t look now, but the Lincoln men are off to their best start in nearly two
decades of basketball.

And the Lions’ latest victim, Bloomsburg, came to Manuel
Rivero Gymnasium on Wednesday for an intriguing non-conference clash only to
exit on the short end of an 81-67 blowout. Lincoln is off to a 4-1 start, and
the lone setback came to St. Leo, a top-10 team in Division II.

The list of impressive victories features a season
opening shocker against Division I Howard, but the win over the Huskies
certainly stacks up as a quality win. Bloomsburg (2-2) was picked in the
preseason coach’s poll to finish third in the eight-team PSAC East.

“(Bloomsburg) is a quality team,” said LU head coach John Hill. “And I’d like to think we are heading in that direction.”

The first meeting between these two in a quarter century played out quite differently than the last, when Bloomsburg blasted the Lions 133-70 back in 1987. This time around, however, Lincoln was quicker, more athletic and exhibited much more depth. The Lions forced 20 turnovers, turned them into 28 points, and had a 23-5 edge in off-the-bench scoring.

NEW ORLEANS — Whitney Gaston-Loyd, Xavier University of Louisiana's leading
scorer during a 3-0 week which included back-to-back victories against ranked
teams, has been chosen Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in
women's basketball for Nov. 19-25.

Gaston-Loyd, a 6-foot junior center
from Shreveport, La., and a graduate of Southwood High School, won the award
after averaging 10.7 points and shooting 60.9 percent from the floor. Her basket
with 6.3 seconds remaining Nov. 19 gave Xavier a 46-45 victory against NAIA No.
19 LSU-Shreveport. Her basket with 14:24 remaining Thursday put Xavier ahead to
stay and started an 11-2 run which carried the Gold Nuggets to a 46-38 victory
against NAIA No. 14 Langston in the Xavier Classic.

The following day she played
just nine minutes in an 84-39 victory against Texas College but made 5-of-5 from
the floor to share team scoring honors. For the week she scored 32 points in 56
minutes. The victories against
LSUS and Langston marked the first time in Bo Browder's 14 seasons as head coach
that the Gold Nuggets defeated ranked teams in consecutive regular-season
games.Through seven games, Gaston-Loyd is averaging 8.1 points, 2.7
rebounds, 1.1 steals and 18 minutes and is shooting 52.1 percent from the floor
and 63.6 percent from the line. She leads the Gold Nuggets in field-goal
accuracy and is tied for second in scoring. Gaston-Loyd is in her first season
at Xavier after playing for NCAA Division I member Arkansas-Little Rock the past
two seasons.Xavier, 6-1 and ranked 11th in NAIA Division I, will play
city rival Loyola next Wednesday (Dec. 5) at 5:30 p.m. at XU's new Convocation
Center. It will be a doubleheader that day, with the Xavier and Loyola men
meeting at 7:30.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Simmons
recorded his third consecutive double-double, 17 points and 12 rebounds, to lead
NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 69-66 men's basketball victory
Tuesday against Mobile at the Convocation Center.

The victory was a third
in a row for the Gold Rush (9-1).

Wanto Joseph had 14 points and a
season-high-tying eight assists for Xavier, and Denzell Erves had 11 points and
a career-high-tying four blocked shots. Joseph and Erves have scored in double
figures in every game this season.

Mobile never caught
Xavier after Simmons scored the first two points. The Gold Rush led 35-29 at
halftime an extended the lead to 48-38 before the Rams closed the margin to
60-59 with 2:40 remaining.

A Xavier turnover in the final 10 seconds gave
Mobile a chance to force overtime, but Chris Richardson missed a 3-pointer with
three seconds remaining, and Xavier's Gary Smith rebounded.

Xavier
committed a season-low nine turnovers and outshot the Rams 49 to 44.2 percent
from the floor and outrebounded them 33-27. Mobile dominated on the perimeter,
making 11-of-24 3-pointers to Xavier's 0-of-8. But the Gold Rush outscored the
Rams 19-9 on free throws.

Xavier has won 30 of its past 32 non-conference
home games and 49-of-52. It's the sixth time in Dannton Jackson's 10 seasons as
head coach that the Gold Rush started 9-1 or better.

Xavier's next game
will start at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 against city rival Loyola at the Convocation
Center. It will be the final Gold Rush home game of the fall semester.

Shontae Dillon
scored 16 points and Briana Edwards 13 for Mobile (3-5), which dropped its third
in a row.

Franklin, Gauthier, Tucker and Andraquay Quinnine scored six
points apiece to lead the Gold Nuggets to a 33-30 halftime lead. Gauthier's
basket with 12:45 remaining gave Xavier its biggest lead, 46-34.

Mobile
outshot Xavier 48.9 to 36.8 percent from the floor -- the sixth consecutive game
the Nuggets shot less than 40 percent -- but the Nuggets had advantages of 41-21
in rebounds and 28-6 in bench points.

Xavier has won 46 of its past 49
home games, including 6-of-7 this season in its new home
facility.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 against city
rival Loyola at the Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' final home game
of the fall semester.

NEW ORLEANS — For the first time this season and the fourth time in his career,
Xavier University of Louisiana's Denzell Erves has been chosen Gulf Coast
Athletic Conference Player of the Week.Erves, a 6-foot-7 senior forward
from Vicksburg, Miss., and a graduate of Vicksburg High School, won the award
for Nov. 19-25 after averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds and shooting 71.4
percent from the floor and 76.9 percent from the line in three games. He
produced double-doubles against William Carey and Concordia (Ala.), giving him
six in 10 games this season. Erves scored a season-high 21 points Saturday
(8-of-9 field goals) in a victory against Wiley at the Memphis (Tenn.) HBCU
Classic. Xavier was 2-0 in that event and earned back-to-back victories on a
neutral court for the first time since November 2004.Erves won the GCAC
player award three times in 2011-12. He is the Gold Rush's second honoree this
season — senior guard Wanto Joseph earned the honor for Nov. 5-11. Through 10 games, Erves is averaging 14.5 points, nine rebounds
and 1.6 blocked shots and is shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 72.5
percent from the line. He ranks 10th in NAIA Division I in rebounds per game and
12th in blocks per game.

Xavier, 9-1 and ranked 19th in NAIA Division I,
will play city rival Loyola next Wednesday (Dec. 5) at 7:30 p.m. at XU's new
Convocation Center.

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- It was easy to spot the break-out player this past Saturday when the Rams routed Shippensburg at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Jameze Massey, a senior wide receiver who needs just five more yards to reach 1,000 this season, had one of his best games of his career. Massey, who is only 5-8 and about 170 pounds, is deceptively fast.

“He brings excitement and he’s elusive when he has the football in his hands,” Coach Connell Maynor said. “And it’s my job to get him the ball and if I don’t get him the ball I’m a stupid coach or I’d probably get fired. So that’s what I’m trying to do is get him the ball whenever we can.”

Maynor says that Massey, who also returns punts and kickoffs, usually makes things happen when he gets the ball.

“People probably don’t realize how fast he is until he’s going around the corner on them,” Maynor said. “And all they see is the bottom of his shoes and he’s a tremendous athlete and I’m glad he plays for me.”

Covington had a season-high 29 points and 14
points while Thornton chipped in with 22 points of his own. The duo combined to
shoot 21-27 from the field and helped the Tigers edge the Bulldogs 45-28 on the
glass.

Rashad Williams led Fisk with 15 points, but the
forward was limited in the second half due to foul trouble.

The
Tigers got the first possession of the game and then Covington went to work. He
first tipped in a shot by Thornton and then dunked the ball off of a steal from
the inbound pass. The sudden surge prompted a timeout from Fisk with only 30
seconds gone off of the clock.

After another Covington basket at the 19:04
mark, the Tigers ran down the court and found Covington wide open beyond the
arc. He nailed that shot and another three to help TSU start the game on a 17-0
run.

With
15:11 left in the opening half, Chaed
Wellian had his
first points in a TSU uniform with a jumper. The shot made the score 19-2 with
Big Blue on top.

The
Tigers continued their charge later in the period and led 29-13 on another
tip-in from Covington. Through the first 13 minutes of the game, Covington had
18 of TSU's 29 points and eight of the team's 14 boards.

TSU
finished the half on a 10-2 run that spanned over six minutes and included
baskets by five different Tigers. Jordan
Cypherscanned
his second three-pointer of the period to lead the TSU offense.

Tennessee State had 22 points in the paint
during the opening frame and held a 27-16 advantage on the boards.

Thornton got the team started in the second
half with a strong one-handed dunk within the first minute of action, and the
Tigers never looked back on the way to an 11-2 opening run.

At
the 16 minute mark, Thornton stole the ball around the top of the key and he ran
the floor by himself for a highlight reel break-away slam. The rim rocker made
the score 51-24 in favor of the home side.

The
Tigers extended their lead to 41 with just under four minutes left to go in the
game when Wellian canned his first career three-pointer.

Tennessee State got 29 points from its bench and
won its most lopsided game since the first game of the 1998-99 season when the
Tigers beat Fisk 97-52.

TSU
will next travel to Alabama A&M on Saturday, Dec. 1 for a 7 p.m.
tip-off.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman’s FCS playoff run didn’t last long, as Coastal Carolina won
24-14 in the first round on Saturday.

Although the Wildcats (9-3) would
like to still be playing, they should be in good shape to defend their MEAC
championship next season and make another trip back to the FCS playoffs.

B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins, the MEAC Coach of the Year, has a number
of key players returning in 2013, including star running back Isidore Jackson and quarterback Quentin Williams.

Up front, B-CU is
led by offensive lineman Terrance Hackney who does a magnificent job
of opening holes for the running game and pass protecting. The 6-foot-6,
310-pound sophomore has great strength and can really move his feet.

Defensively, the Wildcats could be even stronger. LeBrandon Richardson is a great pass-rushing
defensive end. Richardson recorded 8.5 sacks this season and also had 53 total
tackles, including 31 solo.

Monday, November 26, 2012

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- The 2012 football season mercifully came to end for
Grambling on Saturday in a 38-33 loss to Southern in the Bayou Classic.

The Tigers (1-10, 0-9 Southwestern Athletic Conference)
went winless in league play for the first time since joining the SWAC in 1958,
but Grambling didn't leave the Mercedes-Benz Superdome empty-handed.

Although no GSU coach, player or alumni is accustomed
to a season like this (it's the worst record in program history since at least
1941), Tiger fans did see a team that didn't quit in the season finale.

The Grambling defense forced two early turnovers, which
the offense cashed in for a 14-0 lead.

The Tigers looked the best they had all season with the
offense and defense producing at the same time, a rarity in 2012.

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State made a serious statement Saturday afternoon in blowing
out Shippensburg 37-14 in the second round of the Division II football
playoffs.The main talking point was about the defense.

The Rams were without injured starting quarterback Kam Smith, and although
Anthony Carrothers more than held his own, the key was an aggressive defense
that had the Red Raiders figured out.

Defensive coordinator Kienus Boulware didn’t do much that was different from
the regular season, despite an opponent that had the most potent Division II
offense in the country.

A four-man rush and occasional blitzes kept the pressure on quarterback Zach
Zulli. The Rams sacked him just twice, but they funneled their coverage to force
Zulli outside, and that’s where he had trouble.

“We just got pressure on him,” Coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said. “We said if
we could rush four and get pressure on him, it would be a long day. That’s what
we did, and we forced him to throw out routes instead of in the middle of the
field.”

Responding to a question about his team's
national relevance, Jenkins stated the reasons he felt his Wildcats were a
“national level” team.

He
ended by noting that building the program has been a “collective effort,” before
saying, “It's been a really good ride. I've enjoyed it, and we will see what is
next.”

When a
reporter asked if that meant that Jenkins might be on the move, the coach
insisted that is not what he said. Then he went on to not exactly close the door
on the idea.

“My
main thing is celebrating with my family and moving forward,” Jenkins said. “We
all know opportunities present themselves. We all know that, and I'm not going
to sit here and pretend like opportunities don't present themselves.

“All I
can tell you is it is very hard for me to leave a university that loves me, and
I love it. It's hard for me to love a team that I really, really love. I love my
players. They love me. It's very, very hard.”

NEW ORLEANS — After a coaching change, a winning streak and a losing streak, at the end of the season that began with so much turmoil and ended Saturday with Southern’s best chance to win a Bayou Classic for the first time since 2007, linebacker Franchot West found himself in the middle of the field inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, scrambling with his teammates, barking above the noise, trying to stop Grambling one last time.

West and the Jaguars had taken a big lead, then nearly given all of it away. The archrival Tigers were driving for a potential game-winning score with less than a minute left.

From both sidelines, coaches and players screamed. The crowd of 45,980, though small, scattered and late-arriving, was certainly into it.

Moments before his fumble recovery preserved a thrilling 38-33 win in this matchup of two teams with disappointing records, West learned his responsibility: Spy on Grambling quarterback Frank Rivers, then make a play if the action comes your way.

Rams backup Anthony Carrothers, making his first start in two seasons, passed
for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Jameze (pronounced J-Mez) Massey caught
eight passes and hauled in two of those touchdowns, covering 69 and 33 yards
with his elusive speed.

The plays came straight out of the replay vault from the CIAA title game.
After Smith hurt his shoulder that afternoon, Carrothers rallied the offense,
and Massey won the MVP award for his three touchdowns. Massey, a 5-8 senior from
Monroe, figured Carrothers could do it again because he played for a 9-2 team
before transferring from Grambling State.

“We just had to get him some confidence because he hasn’t been playing that
much this year, and this was a big game,” Massey said. “He had a couple of
mistakes — threw an interception for six (points) and fumbled down there — but
when I looked in his eyes after that, he told me he was good. I took it from
there. Because of the look in his eyes, I believed him.”

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- Denzell Erves scored a season-high 21 points Saturday to lead
hot-shooting Xavier University of Louisiana to a 76-61 men's basketball victory
against Wiley on the second and final day of the Memphis HBCU Classic at
Southwest Tennessee Community College.

The Gold Rush (8-1) shot 71.1
percent from the floor, XU's best in nearly 200 games. Erves was 8-of-9 from the
floor and 5-of-6 from the line. The accuracy was Xavier's best since a
school-record 75.9 percent in a victory against Tougaloo at The Barn on Feb. 5,
2007.

Wanto Joseph had 16 points, six assists and three steals for
Xavier, and Anthony Simmons had 13 points and 10 rebounds for his second
consecutive double-double and third in four games. Reserve forward Olivier Siewe
had season highs of seven points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Gary Smith,
starting for the second consecutive game, scored a season-high seven points and
was 3-of-3 from the floor. Nick Haywood had a career-high-tying six
assists.

Xavier led 16-6 after hitting 8-of-9 from the floor in the first
seven minutes. The Gold Rush led 37-19 at halftime -- Xavier's largest halftime
lead on the road since January 2008 -- and took a 43-21 lead on Simmons' two
free throws with 17:57 remaining.

Wiley (5-2), losing to Xavier for the
second time in eight days, never came closer than 11 points in the second half.
Xavier protected its lead by going 4-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the
line in the final four minutes.

The five XU starters -- Erves, Simmons,
Joseph, Smith and Xavier Rogers -- shot a combined 77.4 percent (24-of-31) from
the floor. The Gold Rush made 20-of-25 free throws and reached 80 percent for
the third time this season.

Erves and Joseph have scored in double
figures in every game this season.

Tayler Jacobs had 18 points, five
assists and four steals for Wiley, and Dominic Jones scored 13 points. Wiley
shot 38.6 percent from the floor and was outrebounded 36-18 -- the seventh time
this season Xavier had a double-digit rebound advantage.

Turnovers were
the only downer for the Gold Rush. Xavier committed 30, its most since the start
of 2003-04. More extensive records before that season are not
available.

Xavier, which defeated Concordia (Ala.) 75-61 in this event
Friday, earned back-to-back victories at a neutral site for the first time since
the Loyola Classic in November 2004 and for the first time at a neutral site
outside of New Orleans since the Mobile Classic in December 2002.

Xavier
is 8-1 or better though its first nine games for the seventh time in Dannton
Jackson's 10 seasons as head coach.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The Tennessee
State women's basketball team played its most complete game of the season as
they took down Samford 57-40 at the Samford Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday.
It's the largest road win since at least 2001.

Kesi
Hess led all scorers with 15 points, while Simone
Hopes tied a career-high with 12 rebounds. The senior from Houston
had a dozen boards vs. Eastern Kentucky in December 2010.

The 40 points
allowed are the fewest by TSU since giving up 35 to Southeast Missouri State on
Feb. 24, 2011, a span of 36 games.

Even
though neither team had more than a five point lead in the first half, TSU (2-3)
controlled most of the first 20 minutes by forcing 10 Samford turnovers,
including seven steals.

TSU
held a 25-23 advantage at the half and limited the Bulldogs (2-2) to only eight
made field goals.

A
14-2 TSU run over the last 6:17 turned a five point Lady Tigers lead into the
final 17 point margin. Samford's last field goal came with five minutes
remaining. The Tiger defense was even better in the second half holding the
Bulldogs to 17 points, 26 percent shooting, as well as outrebounding Samford by
14.

Tanesha
Stenson joined Hess in double-digits as the Nashville native added 11
points, one off her career-high that she set on Tuesday vs. Kansas State, along
with seven rebounds.

Destiney
Gaston had back-to-back solid games off the bench with nine points
after having eight points and five rebounds vs. UAB on Friday.

The Lady
Tigers held the Bulldogs to a season low in points and it was only the second
win for TSU in 11 all-time meetings.

Samford won the Southern Conference Tournament
and had a 10-2 record at home last season.

TSU
heads out west next week to play Idaho on Friday and Montana on Saturday in
Missoula, Mont.Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers, Twitter @TSU_Tigers and YouTubeCOURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NEW ORLEANS — With one final chance to make his case for a
more permanent job, Southern interim football coach Dawson Odums
got what he absolutely had to have Saturday: A win in the Bayou
Classic.

Now, his fate rests in the hands of Athletic Director William
Broussard.

Odums and the Jaguars took a commanding lead in the second half against
Grambling, then held on for a 38-33 win over archrival Grambling in the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

If that was enough for Odums to take over full-time, Broussard wasn’t
saying.

He did offer this much: Odums won’t be the only candidate to replace
Stump Mitchell, who was reassigned after two-plus seasons and a
6-18 record at SU.

“We’ll proceed to a national search next week,” Broussard said Saturday.
“That will give me an opportunity to sit and talk with coach Odums and kind of
do a formal review of the season and his performance as the head coach.”

Odums went 4-5 during his nine-game tenure. He took control of the team after
its 6-0 home loss to Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 13, then led the Jaguars
to three wins over their next four games.

Led by junior quarterback Dray Joseph, from
West St. John High, and two St. Augustine graduates, receivers Charles
Hawkins and Lee
Doss, Southern salvaged a bit of their disappointing season with a 38-33
season-finale victory against Grambling in the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome before an announced crowd of 45,980.

The Jaguars got down 14-0, rallied with a 38-6 run engineered by Joseph then
had to hold their breath at the end when Grambling had a chance to drive for the
winning score.

“I just feel that I want to be
the head coach at Southern University and these young men showed why they like
my leadership (on Saturday),’’ said Odums, who was named interim coach in
September when head coach Stump Mitchell
was reassigned after an 0-2 start. “They play hard and for 60 minutes. But I
know it’s not my call. Whatever happens we’ll be estatic about it either way
because we know put our best foot forward to make these young men better.’’

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Second-ranked Winston-Salem State had little trouble in its second-round game
of the Division II football playoffs, defeating No. 15 Shippensburg 37-14 in
front of just more than 3,000 at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The Rams (12-0) will play Indiana (Pa.) at noon next Saturday
in the quarterfinals.

Backup quarterback Anthony Carrothers, playing for injured Kam
Smith, completed 19 of 37 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns with one
interception.

The Rams racked up 525 yards, the second most allowed this
season by the Red Raiders (11-2).

Running back Maurice Lewis (158 yards, two touchdowns) and
wide receivers Jameze Massey (167 yards, two touchdown catches) and Jahuann
Butler (123 yards receiving) had big games for the Rams.

The Winston-Salem State Rams beat Shippensburg 37-14
Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Bowman-Gray
Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ship junior quarterback Zach Zulli tied the D-II single season record with
his 54th touchdown pass of the season, to Trevor Harman (Cumberland Valley) for
the Raiders' only offensive score of the game, but he did not have good day.
Zulli was picked off three times, part of five turnovers by Ship.

Ship finishes the season with an 11-2 mark. Unbeaten and Super Region 1
top-seed WSSU (12-0) will meet IUP -- the Crimson Hawks (12-1) were 17-14
winners over New Haven (Conn.) -- in the national quarterfinals.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Coastal Carolina scored on three conescutive possessions in the second quarter
and then added a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth
quarter to defeat Bethune-Cookman 24-14 in the first round of the FCS playoffs
Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

The loss ends the Wildcats' season at 9-3. It was their fourth playoff loss
since 2002 and their second in three seasons. Coastal Carolina (8-4) advances to
the second round next week against No. 4 overall seed Old Dominion.

Down 24-0, B-CU scored on Quentin Williams' 74-yard pass to David Blackwell
with 6:44 left in the game. Williams, who added a 2-point conversion pass, had
just returned after leaving the game in the third quarter following a blindside
sack. The Wildcats scored again with 1:22 left on Isidore Jackson's 10-yard run.
Williams' 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.

Backup quarterback Brodrick Waters led the Wildcats on a long drive following
Nick Addison's interception with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Waters' 46-yard
option run brought the ball to the Coastal 11. With fourth down at the 5, B-CU
lined up for a field goal, but the Wildcats were flagged for a false start
before the kick.

Erves had 11 points and seven rebounds and assisted on Joseph's
3-pointer which gave Xavier a 33-22 halftime lead. Xavier led by double digits
for the final 15:09 and four times held a 19-point lead in the final 10
minutes.

Xavier outshot the Hornets 55.4 to 39.7 percent from the floor
-- 51.9 to 27.3 percent in the first half -- and outrebounded them 39-27. It was
the third time this season the XU men shot 50 percent or higher and the sixth
time they had a double-figure rebound advantage. It was the fewest points Xavier
allowed this season.

It's the seventh time in Dannton Jackson's 10
seasons that the Gold Rush started the season 7-1 or better. Friday was
Jackson's 300th game as XU head coach; his record is 209-91.

Xavier will
play Wiley in this same event at 2 p.m. Saturday. A week ago the Gold Rush
defeated Wiley 82-77 in overtime during XU's homecoming doubleheader. The next
XU home game will be Tuesday.Box score

Were there to be a prediction it would be a close win by the BCU Wildcats,
but it all depends. Considered among the weaker teams in the playoffs the winner
will have the opportunity to play Old Dominion and possibly Georgia Southern
in-route to the semi-finals.
﻿

Coastal Carolina is used to getting off to a very fast start, outscoring opponents 115 to 61 in the first quarter. Bethune has a habit of starting slow and then catching up. BCU opponents outscored them in the first quarter and the rest of the quarters are dominated by the Wildcats. Coastal Carolina has shown that they have enough offense to match up in the final three quarters and maintain the lead. If both teams stay true to form then BCU would lose a close one in an offensive shootout. Should BCU figure out their defensive plan before game starts then it will be BCU’s to win.

Facts
Coastal Carolina defeated North Carolina A&T, the only common opponent of both teams, 28-13 early in the season. The BCU Wildcats defeated the A&T Aggies by a similar score 28-12.

Both teams have a loss this season to an OVC opponent; Coastal Carolina to Eastern Kentucky and BCU to the Tennessee State Tigers. Tennessee State defeated Eastern Kentucky in conference play.

Opponents of both teams have a cumulative losing record, 47-56 for BCU opponents and 49-53 for Coastal Carolina opponents. Given that opponents of FAMU, a team BCU defeated last week, hold a cumulative record of 50-50, this stat may not make a difference.

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin -- Milwaukee Point guard Marcus Wells made a key layup with 1:03 left, and Winston-Salem State hung on to defeated Northern Michigan 78-69 at the Fresh Coast Classic on Friday afternoon.

The Rams shot just 63 percent from the foul line (19 of 31) but made enough free throws in the final minute to hold off the Wildcats (1-1).

The score was tied 36-36 at halftime, and the biggest lead in the first half was seven, by the Rams after two Wells’ free throws made it 27-20 with 6:34 remaining.

But Northern followed with an 11-0 run that included three 3-pointers and went up 31-27 when Kendall Jackson hit the third 3, with 4:38 left. Wakefield Ellison ended the run with a layup, and WSSU tied on Kimani Hunt’s layup with 3:25 to play.

Friday, November 23, 2012

NEW ORLEANS — Amelia Dorton, one of four Tuskegee double-digit scorers, had 16
points Friday to help the Tigerettes rally for a 76-62 women's basketball
victory against Langston in the Xavier Classic.Tuskegee (2-3) trailed
by 11 points in the 11th minute and 34-33 at halftime but took the lead for good
by outscoring Langston 12-2 in the first four minutes of the second half. An
11-3 run extended Tuskegee's lead to 56-45 with 11:23 remaining.

Amber Coleman had 18 points and eight rebounds for Langston
(0-5), ranked 14th in NAIA Division I. Victoria Felix had 11 points, 11 rebounds
and six assists, and Tayla Vaughn had 11 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and
three assists.

Langston led for all but 67 seconds of the first half and
took its biggest lead, 23-12, on Coleman's 3-point play at 9:46.

Tuskegee outshot Langston 45.3 to 40.7 from the floor — 50 to 31.3 percent in
the second half — committed 14 turnovers and gained 27. Langston had a 41-29
rebound advantage.

Tuskegee led by double digits for the final 8:19 and
twice led by 16.

Langston, making its eighth consecutive Xavier Classic
appearance, lost both its games in the event for the first time since 2004.
Xavier defeated the Lionesses 46-38 Thursday. Tuskegee finished 1-1 after losing
88-62 to Wiley. Both Tuskegee and Langston were 2-0 in the 2011 Xavier
Classic.

NEW ORLEANS -- Andraquay Quinnine, Whitney Gaston-Loyd and Chelsea Broussard
scored 10 points apiece Friday to lead NAIA No. 11 Xavier University of
Louisiana in an 84-39 women's basketball victory against Texas College in the
Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Nuggets (5-1) won both
their games in this event and extended their win streak to three
games.

Quinnine and Broussard scored six points apiece to lead Xavier to
a 33-20 halftime advantage. The Nuggets scored the first 13 points of the second
half, five by SiMon Franklin. The final margin was the largest of the
game.

Gaston-Loyd, who played nine minutes, made all five of her
field-goal attempts.

Xavier outshot the Lady Steers (1-4, 1-1 Xavier
Classic) 39.5 to 27.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 55-30.
Reserve guard Talon Hixon grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and was one of
three XU players with three steals.

Carmen Holcombe had eight points and
five rebounds for Xavier, and Danielle Tucker had seven points, six rebounds and
a season-best five assists.

DAYTONA BEACH — Bethune-Cookman
hopes today marks the start of a deep run through the Football Championship
Subdivsion playoffs.

B-CU (9-2) is hosting Coastal Carolina (7-4) in the FCS playoffs at Municipal
Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN 3.com.

"It's a good feeling to be in this position that but there is more football
to be played," B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said.

The Wildcats
are making their fourth playoff appearance and second in three years. They have
never won a playoff. An injury to then-quarterback Matt Johnson hurt the team,
contributing to a loss to New Hampshire in the 2010 playoffs.

"We are healthy heading into this one," Jenkins said. "This year we have had
very limited injuries. The work in the weight room is paying off too."

A B-CU win would be the first playoff win for a MEAC
or HBCU team since 1999 when Florida A&M made the semifinals and North
Carolina A&T the quarterfinals. In 1978, FAMU
was the only HBCU to win an FCS championship.

"I don't put that weight on my team," Jenkins said. "We do have the support
of our conference as calls have come in wishing us well."

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Way back in 2001, I wrote a column in which I
encouraged Alabama State to build an on-campus stadium.

At the time, a powerful board of trustees member had
come up with a plan for the stadium, along with a move up to the NCAA’s top
football level.

It was a bold move that was supported by a majority of
people on the ASU campus. But it was getting resistance from a couple of board
members — one in particular — and eventually that plan fell through.

I assumed it was a dead idea. With the renovations of
Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl and the steady deterioration of the SWAC — the
conference in which ASU competes — I figured the idea of an on-campus stadium
had been pushed to the back burner, maybe even completely off the stove.

I figured wrong.

ASU officially opened the doors to its shiny, new
stadium, as it welcomed a packed house to an on-campus Turkey Day Classic
against Tuskegee, which the Hornets lost 27-25.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- Prairie View A&M's Carl Blair made a
driving layup with no time left to hand the Navy men's basketball a 42-40
setback in the opening round of the South Padre Island Invitational on Friday
afternoon.

The loss sends Navy into Saturday's consolation game against Delaware State,
starting at 11:45 AM (ET) / 10:45 AM (CT). Navy falls to 2-4 overall, while the
Panthers, who are picked to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
title, improve to 3-4 overall.

Navy has now lost two straight games by two points and three of its four
losses have come by five points or less.

"We had the exact same scenario as we had the other night against TCU. You
have to make one more play," said Navy head coach Ed DeChellis. "You can't go
3-of-8 from the free throw line and miss front ends of two one-and-ones. Every
time we had a chance to stop the bleeding, we would miss a free throw. You can't
let a guy dribble 90 feet for a lay-up to win the game. Those are winning plays
you have to make. It's very disappointing, but you have to make basketball
plays. Every play matters."

Navy surged out to a 24-12 lead right before halftime, before the Panthers
connected on their only three-pointer of the first half to cut the lead to 24-15
at the break.